Journal for Educators, Teachers and Trainers

Abstract

Teacher training and educational activities have mostly concentrated on learning and knowledge and, to a lesser degree, on learning to live together or on being and doing. The objective of this research, therefore, is to foster the emotional competence of future teachers and offer experiences that demonstrate how important it is to enable a more reflective, ecological and credible professional development. This article presents the design, development and evaluation of an experience carried out during the educational year 2012-2013 at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) on the Teaching Degree course. The activities accomplished enable critical reflection on news articles published in the media and so different ways of learning were studied, encouraging both intra-and interpersonal competence through individual, team and large group activities. A significant improvement could be seen in the emotional competence of the participants, highlighting the fact that this was the first time that they have reflected on and worked specifically on these areas. It has been proven that they have improved the objectives of the subject and learnt to think with their hearts without forfeiting reasoning, both of these aspects needing to go hand in hand for the education of worthy people, in strengthening their maturity and social commitment.The article is relevant for making concrete proposals and demonstrating the need to educate future teachers so that they can learn to discover and evaluate their emotions, achieving to listen, see, interpret and promote emotional competencies of students and leading to a change of the relationship and atmosphere within the educational context. Thus, the main novelty of the study lies in the goals intended, providing a relevant and innovative change within teacher training.